Chapter 649 - 649: Bringing Lin Xue Home

Zhao Yuan's trip home this time was uneventful. He and Lin Xue chatted and laughed the whole way, arriving in Jinhua Village without a hitch a little after three in the afternoon.

From a long way off, Zhao Yuan could see his parents and younger sister waiting at the entrance to the village.

They had clearly been waiting there for a long time, eagerly anticipating their arrival.

Yesterday afternoon, Zhao Yuan had called home to say he was bringing his girlfriend back today. The news had left Shen Lijun so excited she barely slept a wink. She was up at the crack of dawn today, cleaning the house and getting everything ready for dinner.

After all, this was the first time Zhao Yuan had ever brought a girlfriend home, and a girl from the big city at that. Shen Lijun didn't want to make a bad impression and risk affecting something so important to her son.

Zhao Shiquan, in contrast, was much calmer. He trusted his son's judgment and believed that the girlfriend he chose would never look down on them just because they were country folk from a poor, remote village.

Inside the car, Zhao Yuan told Lin Xue, "My parents and sister came out to welcome you."

"What?" Lin Xue tensed up immediately, complaining, "Your parents are my elders. How could I let them come to welcome me? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Zhao Yuan spread his hands and said helplessly, "Hey, it wasn't my idea. My parents are just really warm people. Since this is your first time visiting as my girlfriend, they wanted to come out and greet you. Come on, don't be so nervous. Every new bride has to meet the in-laws eventually."

"You're the one who's ugly," Lin Xue shot back, glaring at him. But his little joke did a lot to ease her nerves.

The Bone Woman parked the car at the entrance to the village. Lin Xue took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then pushed open her door and walked with Zhao Yuan toward Zhao Shiquan, Shen Lijun, and Zhao Ling.

"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Lin Xue," Zhao Yuan said with a smile, pulling her forward.

"Hello," Lin Xue said with a lovely smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Please, just call me Xiaoxue." Her features were already sweet, but her smile made her seem all the more charming and delightful. Zhao Shiquan and Shen Lijun took an instant liking to her.

Nervous though she was, Lin Xue carried herself with impeccable, natural grace.

"Wonderful, wonderful. We'll call you Xiaoxue, then. What a beautiful, sweet girl." Shen Lijun took Lin Xue's hand, grinning from ear to ear.

Before Lin Xue's arrival, Shen Lijun had been filled with worries. But now, seeing how beautiful and polite the girl was, all her anxieties vanished into thin air. The more she looked at Lin Xue, the more she liked what she saw.

Zhao Shiquan was also very satisfied with Lin Xue. More reserved than his wife, he simply nodded and murmured, "A very beautiful girl, and a good personality." Then, his gaze shifted to Zhao Yuan, and he added with clear praise, "As expected of my son! His taste in picking a wife is as good as mine!"

With that one sentence, he had managed to praise all four of them.

Lin Xue was both delighted and bashful. Her pretty face flushed a bright red, a truly lovely sight.

"You're so beautiful, Big Sis," Zhao Ling said, sidling up to her.

"You must be Ling'Er, right? You're very pretty too—much better looking than your brother," Lin Xue said with a laugh, not missing the chance to poke fun at Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan gave a wry smile. What could he do when his own girlfriend was roasting him? He just had to take it.

"Since this is our first meeting, I brought a few small gifts for you all," Lin Xue announced. As she spoke, she turned to head back to the car.

"Oh, you dear child, you shouldn't have! Your visit is gift enough," Shen Lijun chided with a laugh. She then turned and barked at Zhao Yuan and Zhao Ling, "What are you two standing around for? Go help her! Are you really going to make Xiaoxue carry all that by herself?"

Zhao Yuan and Zhao Ling exchanged a look and replied with a laugh, "Yes, yes, we hear and obey the decree of the Empress Dowager!"

The two of them caught up with Lin Xue and helped her take all the gifts she had prepared out of the trunk.

A crowd of villagers had also gathered at the village entrance, curious to see what was going on.

Zhao Yuan was the hero of Jinhua Village now, so him bringing a girlfriend home was, of course, a major event for everyone!

And look, even the old village chief had come to the entrance, curiously sizing Lin Xue up, wanting to see just what kind of person Zhao Yuan's girlfriend was.

"So that's Brother Yuan's girlfriend? She's gorgeous!"

"She's pretty, seems nice, and she isn't looking down on our little place. Brother Yuan really found a keeper!"

"You said it! I remember last year, Liu the Second's son found a girlfriend in the county seat. When he brought her back here, the girl had a sour look on her face the whole time. Not a single smile. The moment she got back to town, she broke up with him. And why? Because she thought this place was too poor."

"Well, you can't really blame people. Our village was dirt poor back then. But now, thanks to Zhao Yuan's help, our lives have improved so much. I bet that once the buildings at the medicinal herb base are done, our lives will change even more dramatically! Then, none of our village folks who want to find a partner will have to worry about being looked down on!"

Amid the villagers' chatter, Lin Xue was escorted toward the Zhao family home, with Shen Lijun on one arm and Zhao Ling on the other.

As for the gifts Lin Xue had brought, Zhao Yuan was left to carry them all by himself.

God only knew what magic potion Lin Xue had fed Shen Lijun and Zhao Ling to get on such good terms with her future mother-in-law and sister-in-law in such a short amount of time.

As they walked through the village, Shen Lijun introduced her around, and Lin Xue warmly greeted each of the villagers. Her friendliness left the villagers feeling both surprised and flattered, and it made Shen Lijun and Zhao Shiquan beam with pride.

Back at the house, just as they set down all the bags of gifts, four small figures came dashing into the courtyard from outside.

Leading the pack was the White Cat, which Zhao Yuan hadn't seen for several days. Following behind were two Little Dang Kangs and the Little Red Fox with its fiery-red fur.

It seemed the Little Red Fox had grown quite close with the White Cat and the others recently. Because it frequently visited the medicinal herb cultivation base, it had gotten used to people and was no longer as timid as before. The people of Jinhua Village had grown familiar with it too; knowing it was a friend of the White Cat, they were all very kind to it.

"Xiaobai, long time no see! Wow, these two little piggies are so cute! And this little fox is gorgeous!" Like most girls, the sight of adorable little animals made Lin Xue's eyes sparkle.

The White Cat led the two Little Dang Kangs over to rub against her legs in greeting.

The Little Red Fox, however, didn't approach. Instead, it stared at her with a peculiar expression, a look that held both a hint of jealousy and a touch of defiance.